Set collectors: Do we get treated right?

Once upon a time, there were a kingdom called Collector’s Paradise. In this paradise all citizens were happy, the Rulers provided them with exciting new releases a few months apart, big base sets with splendid designs and well done photo work. Each collector cared to flip over the card and read stats or neat details about the specific player.

Today, the paradise is in ruins; memories of a long gone time linger in our heads, and the kingdom’s citizens are scattered. We have more or less one ruler who gets tickled by the fat wallets of rich collectors and ignores the little people. Where does that leave us who wants a set to collect? We ignore the incredibly dull, unimaginative base sets with little to no info on the backs and sloppy photo work and jump onto something else. Namely insert sets. Not too many sets get loyal followers, but a few have gathered attention the recent years, like the Clearcut Winners or Run for the Cup inserts. They are semi-hard to get by, but not too hard. More insert sets like these should definitely emerge, especially in products like SP Authentic or Hot Prospects, where the only interest otherwise is one or two hits.

One of the most exciting insert sets today, if you ever can afford it, is the Cup Limited Logos. I dare say it’s perhaps the most loved and wanted insert set out there. There are more set collectors of this particular set then there are cards, which is unfortunate. However it’s understandable as it can’t be easy to produce tons of lovely patch cards. A set limited to 50 is tough, very tough, but doable. Simply because not too many have the guts and patience to go the whole way, and it costs a ton of money to complete. Even a small time collector like myself would dream of it though.

Lets say you can spend money on one Logos card a month. It’s do-able, yes sir it is. If you’re as stubborn as a rock. Now how happy do you get when you discover a few of the cards are short printed (like it needs to be more short printed then to 50?). OK, so a card exists in 25 instead of 50. Alright, I can deal with it, it’s do-able. I’m stubborn. Last year, a Howe Limited Logos popped up only in 10. Ehum. Hmmm. Nnnnnnnn, OK, I can do it. It does pop up now and then, simply because the Gordie Howe collectors aren’t that many, and so many Howe autos and cards are available these days there’s an overflow of them. I can dream of doing it anyway. It’s possible, and if not, I can live without Howe.

So bring on this year’s Cup version. Checking the cards, lovely, better selection of unique patches this year, or is it just my imagination? Gretzky, there he is, fff… fi…. Five. Five. Five!!!!!! One sold for $1,750. No, I won’t repeat that number, you see it yourself, it’s not a joke. I can get a small second hand used car- with parts falling apart- for that price. Or why not half the Limited Logos set if I’m not too picky with the patches.

There’s a second Gretzky limited logos /5 on eBay for a BIN of $4,000. Soon, that is gone too. The remaining 3? Well they might not have been found yet, or they already are hidden in PCs. Point is, THAT, is impossible. Second point is, if there is a Gretzky included in the Limited Logos set, who wants to skip that?

Upper Deck, I know I’ve said you’ve insulted us before, but this time I take it personally. If you listened to your buyers, you should KNOW that a lot of us love the Cup Limited Logos set, you should KNOW Beckett has listed it many times as one of the most popular sets and thus you should KNOW you make it impossible for everyone but five people on the planet to complete it when you’ve decided to make one card short printed to five. You could have chosen to abuse Honorable Numbers or any other Cup insert that isn’t particularly popular as a set. Nope, you pick one; the hottest and most wanted set of all.

Perhaps you DO know. Perhaps you chuckle at the thought. Perhaps you’re just a very mean old King that makes fun at its citizens. Once again, you have belittled us set collectors.